Resident Grateful for Post-Irene Curb Cuts

By Meg Bachtel

I have always enjoyed walking on the boardwalk along Stratford’s sea wall in
Lordship, enjoying the views and the fresh air. However, since I’ve become
dependent on a walker, the high curb and lack of curb cuts (except one at the far end by Marnick’s) has made it very difficult to park and access the boardwalk.

One of the unfortunate consequences of Tropical Storm Irene was the destruction of the Beach Road in front of the sea wall. When I saw that DPW had already started work on redoing the road it seemed a perfect (albeit unexpected) opportunity to provide at least one additional curb cut access point for wheelchairs, strollers, people using crutches/canes/walkers and anyone else for whom a curb causes difficulties.

I contacted both the Office of the Mayor and Town of Stratford DPW. Two of
the Mayor’s staff members were very responsive: Ricky Martin, who took my
initial call and asked intelligent and perceptive questions and then called me
back the next day to clarify several points of my request, and Tim Waldon, who contacted me the following day with the good news that he had spoken directly with the DPW Director and that a new access point would be installed at the foot of First Ave (just past Mare Bello’s restaurant) and that when parking spaces are “stripped," handicapped spaces will be marked on either side of the curb cut.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to both these gentlemen for their assistance as well as to Maurice (Moe) McCarthy for his support and direction. I especially want to thank the very nice woman I spoke with at DPW and all of the workers who actually created the new sidewalk with the ramped curb cut and made it such a seamless transition, not only between the sidewalk segments but with the road itself.

I encourage ALL Stratford citizens to come take a walk on the sea wall boardwalk and enjoy one of Stratford’s now more easily-accessible treasures.

To submit a letter to the editor, please email Stratford Patch editor Jason Bagley at jason.bagley@patch.com.